I’ll have you know that the Brussels sprout is a cultivar in the Gemmifera group of cabbages (Brassica olderacea), grown for its edible buds. According to Wickipedia, the leafy green vegetables are typically 2.5-4 cm in diameter and look like miniature cabbages, which is precisely what they are. The Brussels sprout has long been popular in Brussels, Belgium and may have originated there.

It is also growing here. On our morning walk, we passed the home of our neighbors and friends, Kim and Jack Macmillan, Jack has a huge garden which he loves to cultivate and which has brought us many potatoes, among other things. He and Kim came out to say hello and Jack grabbed his huge machete, offered to chop down one of his Brussels sprout stalks, and did. Maria was delighted with this gift. Free stuff, especially good free stuff, brings an ear-to-ear grin to her face, and I was ready to catch it. I admit to forcing the smile a bit by calling out her name, making a funny face. My wife cannot resist a funny face, even if it is mine.

She carried the stalk home as if it was the Olympic torch.

Every doctor I have ever known has extolled the virtues of Brussels sprouts, it is supposed to be one of the world’s healthiest foods, so I put some virgin olive oil and sea salt on some, cut them up and roasted them in the oven for 15 minutes at 350. Pretty great.